Apparatus for the upkeep of railway tracks



May 13, 1952 M. H. LEMAIRE APPARATUS FOR THE UPKEEP OF RAILWAY TRACKS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Dec. 27, 1948 May 13, 1952 LEMA|RE 2,596,701

APPARATUS F OR THE UPKEEP OF RAILWAY TRACKS Filed Dec. 27, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 7 '1 j 22 7 2 m A 22 a Y i 0 Patented May 13, 195 2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Ai PARATUs FOR THE UPKEE-P or RAILWAY TRACKS Maurice Henri Lemaire, Paris, France Application December 27, 1948, Serial No. 67,356 In France, August 3, 1948 4 Claims. (01. 104- 13) adjunct for use in connection with the upkeep of railroad tracks. Accordingly the invention has. for an object to provide an apparatus for introducing under the sleepers, which have previously been raised a suitable height, a quantity of coarse gravel which is so regulated that, after said gravel has been compressed by the effect of the passing of the trains, the rail is located at the final level which it is desired to give to it; The apparatus for the present invention consists in principle of an' open top container disposed at the lower end of a. tubular handle and having appropriate shape to its bottom so that the. material introduced into the open top naturally glides out of the container through an opening provided in the lower part of the front wall thereof, the levelling and distribution ,of the material discharged from the container being effected by a displaceable member that is movable relative to the bottom of the container and capable of being projected out through the opening in the front Wall of the container.

The displaceable member comprises a forklike member, the teeth of which respectively consist of a resilient blade, and which teeth are disposed in. diverging relationship similar to a fan. The. actuating device for the said displaceable member is combined with the tubular handle of the apparatus due to the fact that the operating rod for the fork carrying the resilient blades is slidably disposed within .said tubular handle and may be operated by means of a hand grip on the upper end of the operating rod. This hand grip is in addition to a first hand grip fixedly mounted to the upper end of the tubular handle. The two hand grips, that is, the one fixed to the tubular handle and the one fixed to the operating rod and displaceable therewith,

have such a shape and physical disposition that they are at the same level when the apparatus is inactive or not in use and, therefore, the user may readily grasp the two hand grips in order to easily remove, put in place, and maintain in proper position the apparatus.

According to another feature of the invention the curved lower wall constituting the bottom of the container projects beyond said container, that is,- beyond the front vertical wall of the containerjsd as to. be placed in position beneath the side'of a sleeper, sothat the gravel from the container is not deposited on the side of the sleeper in the area from which gravel: has previously been removed to permit the apparatus to be placed in proper position. The curved bottom ment which enables a simplified and rugged con"- rod l2 housed inside the tube 8.-

struction of the apparatus to be obtained, the framework on which the container is fixed. is formed by a channel-iron which acts as a guide for the cross-member to'which the flexible metal blades of the fork are fixed.

An embodiment of the apparatus as improved according to the invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l. is a longitudinal side view partly in section of an embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 2 is. apartial front view partly insection oi the apparatus. of Figure 1 as viewed from I the right, I v I Fig. 3 is a plan view of Figure 1, I II I II I I Figs. 4 and 5 are partial elevational views of the lower 'part of the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1 respectively illustrating the front and rear thereof, I I I I I I Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a slightly smaller scale taken along lines ;6 -6' of Figure 5, and

Fig. 7 is a partial side view ofthe apparatus of Figure l in operative-relation to a railroad. tie.

As illustrated in the drawings, the apparatus comprises a container I which is open at its upper face 2 and includes an inclined rear wall 4, a curved bottom wall3 and a fiat partial front wall 5 which terminates in spaced relation through the entire width of this wall from the bottom 3 to provide a rectangular outlet. opening 6. As. indicated in the drawings the bottom 3 is extended and projects beyond the plane. of the front wall. 5, as. indicated at [9 in the drawings.

The container I. is held on a framework Lat the upper part of which. is fixed a tube 8. which acts as a handle and which. is provided. at its end with av grip 9. I I

The movable fork comprises a number of fiexiblemetal blades 10 which are fixed at one of their ends to a cross-member II to which, is fitted a Said rod. is provided with an actuating handle 13,- the supporting arm of which is engaged-ma longitudinal,

slot extending over a certain length of the tubeil. The flexible blades 1:0,, which" are. divergent in i fan-shaped. formatiom-a-nd. are provided at their fixed is in turn guided by the uprights of the framework 1, the cross-section of which is channel or U-shaped as illustrated in Figure 6 so that the cross member II is guided within the flanges of the uprights of the framework 1. Further, as illustrated in Figure 5, wedge members I8 are interposed between the blades of the movable fork to guide the movement thereof.

In the inoperative position of the apparatus, for which the resilient-pronged fork is at the highest point of its travel, the two handles 9 and I3 are contiguous and substantially at the same level, within reach of the operatives hands. For convenience of manipulation, the handle 9 is preferably, as shown in Fig. 3, turned in a direction which forms, with the direction of the handle [3, an obtuse angle with its open side facing towards the operator or user of the apparatus.

After the container I has been filled with a measured quantity of coarse gravel and the apparatus has been moved up against the side of the sleeper to be raised, the operation is effected by imparting to the resilient fork reciprocating movements, the amplitude of which decreases as the cavity under the sleeper is filled.

As indicated in Figure 6, the apparatus is placed such that the curved bottom extension 19 projects beneath the sleeper 28 to which is mounted the rail 2!, for example, by means of spikes 22 and the curved extension guides the movement of the blades In so that they project beneath the sleeper in a plane generally parallel with the bottom of the sleeper. As indicated the-opening 6 of the container is opposite the space beneath the sleeper which is to receive the quantity of gravel, the gravel falling down the curved bottom into'the space-immediately beneath the sleeper where it is leveled and distributed by the movement of the blades l acting in a horizontalplane. Therefore, the curved extension I3 prevents gravel from falling into the space beneath the curved bottom from which gravel has been removed along the sleeper to permit setting the apparatus in operative relation with respect to the sleeper for a tamping operation. The structure shown is such that the blades projecting outwardly as a fan, level an area greater in width than the total width of the blades. In other words, each blade moving on an angle will level an area greater than the width of this blade.

I claim: v

1. Apparatus for the upkeep of railroad tracks comprising ,in combination with a tubular handle, a container mounted at one end thereof adapted to receive a measured charge of gravel, said container including a curved bottom and a front wall having a lower edge terminating in spaced relation' with respect to the bottom so as to define a discharge opening and said bottom including an extension projecting beyond the plane containing the front wall, a fork member movably mounted with respect to the bottom of said container, said fork member having resilient blades adapted to project outwardly of the container, an operating rod connected to said fork member and slidably disposed within said tubular handle, a first hand grip fixed to the free end of said tubular handle and disposed in a plane perpendicular to the axis thereof, said tubular handle having a longitudinal slot therein extending downwardly from said first hand grip, a second hand grip secured to the free end of said operating rod, crossing said slot and disposed in a plane forming an obtuse angle with the plane containing said first hand grip with the open side of said angle facing rearwardly of the apparatus whereby reciprocation of said second hand grip reciprocates said fork member and the blades thereof are alternately projected from and withdrawn towards the container to level the gravel discharged from the container.

2. Apparatus for the upkeep of railroad tracks comprising in combination with a tubular handle a container mounted at one end thereof adapted to receive a measured charge of gravel, a fork member movably mounted with respect to the bottom of said container, said fork member including resilient blades divergently mounted in fanshaped formation and projectable outwardly of the container, an operating rod connected to said fork member and slidably disposed within said tubular handle, a first hand grip fixed to the free end of said tubular handle and disposed in a plane perpendicular to the axis thereof, said tubular handle having a longitudinal slot therein extending downwardly from said first hand grip, a second hand grip secured to the free end of said operating rod, crossing said slot and disposed in a plane forming an obtuse angle with the plane containing said first hand grip with the open side of said angle facing rearwardly of the apparatus whereby reciprocation of said second hand grip reciprocates said fork member and the blades thereof are alternately projected from and Withdrawn towards the container to level the gravel discharged from the container.

3. An apparatus for the upkeep of railroad tracks comprising in combination with a tubular handle, a container mounted at one end thereof and adapted to receive a measured charge of gravel, a fork member movably mounted in the bottom of said container, said fork member having resilient blades adapted to project outwardly of the container, an operating rod connected to said fork member and slidably disposed within said tubular handle, a first hand grip fixed to the free end of said tubular handle and disposed in a plane perpendicular to the axis thereof, said tubular handle having a longitudinal slot therein extending downwardly from said first hand grip, a second hand grip secured to the free end of said operating rod, crossing said slot and disposed in a plane forming an obtuse angle with the plane containing said first hand grip with the open side of said angle facing rearwardly of the apparatus whereby reciprocation of said second hand grip reciprocates said fork member, the blades thereof are alternately projected from and withdrawn towards the con.- tainer to level the gravel discharged from the container, and a framework including spaced legs each comprising channels of U-shaped cross section for supporting the container, the open side of the respective legs facing one another, said fork member including a cross member carrying said blades and the opposite ends of said cross member being disposed within the channels of and guided by said legs.

4.-An apparatus for the upkeep of railroad tracks comprising in combination with a tubular handle, a container mountedat' one end thereof and adapted to receive a measured charge of gravel, a fork member movably mounted in the bottom of said container, said fork member having resilient blades adapted to project outwardly of the container, an operating rod connected to said fork member and slidably disposed Within said tubular handle, a first hand grip fixed to the free end of said tubular handle and disposed in a plane perpendicular to the axis thereof, said tubular handle having a longitudinal slot therein extending downwardly from said first hand grip, a second hand grip secured to the free end of said operating rod, crossingsaid slot and disposed in a plane forming an obtuse angle with the plane containing said first hand grip with the open side of said angle facing rearwardly of the apparatus whereby reciprocation of said second hand grip reciprocates said fork member, the blades thereof are alternately projected from and withdrawn towards the container to level the gravel discharged from the container, and a framework including spaced legs each comprising channels of U-shaped cross section for supporting the container, the open side of the respective legs facing one another, said fork member including a cross member carrying said blades, the opposite ends of saidcross member 20 on said framework and the resilient blades of said-fork member sliding upon and in contact with the rollers of said sets of rollers.

MAURICE HENRI LEMAIRE.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 16,592 Boeklen Feb. 10, 1857 240,079 Berney Apr. 12, 1881 887,218 Oliver May 12, 1908 949,796 Howard Feb. 22, 1910 2,170,598 Sims -r Aug. 22, 1939 2,353,990 Blair July 18, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 433,524 Great Britain Aug. 15, 1935 

